Interview with Retired FBI Polygrapher Barry Colvert about Walker Espionage Case

[George W. Maschke]

Retired FBI special agent and podcaster Jerri Williams recently interviewed retired FBI special agent and polygraph operator Barry Colvert about the John Walker spy ring case. Colvert polygraphed key witnesses and suspects in the case:

https://jerriwilliams.com/407-barry-colvert-john-walker-spy-ring-case-early-days-of-fbi-polygraphs/

The Walker case has long interested me, and I've read John Walker's memoir, My Life as a Spy. In that book, Walker mentions the polygraph only in passing, noting that he was concerned that his espionage would be uncovered were he to submit to pre-employment polygraph screening with the CIA.

Colvert mentions that Walker himself used polygraphs in the private investigation business that he set up after retiring from the U.S. Navy. Colvert mentions that for this reason, he used the Relevant/Irrelevant technique when conducting his polygraph examinations of him, which concerned his compliance with his plea agreement, which entailed extensive debriefing.